The Stolen Princess

There was a time when Soviet films were shown in India and Indian audience were known to be appreciative of Soviet animation films. Soviet animation was one area which flourished despite the strict state regime. And sometimes, it could even give Hollywood a run for its money. For example, the Russian adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book called Adventures of Mowgli (1973) is considered better than the Disney version by film buffs because of it’s darker subtext and more mature outlook. The dissolution of the USSR led to a crisis of sorts as far as the animation industry is concerned but it’s said that the sector is slowly finding its feet again. The present film is riding that revival’s crest. The Stolen Princess is based on the fairy tale Ruslan and Lyudmila written by Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Produced with the help of Ukrainian State Film Agency, it reportedly broke the national box office records when it was released earlier this year in Ukraine. It has become Ukraine’s most famous film export since then, finding favour with audiences worldwide.

The film tells the story of Ruslan, an actor who pretends to be a knight in order to impress Mila, who is actually a princess. The duo slowly fall in love with each other and that’s when evil sorcerer Chornomor abducts her with the aim to extract the love out of her to make a magic potion and turn her into a stone statue. Ruslan takes it upon himself to invade Chornomor’s evil lair and rescue his one true love.

Mila is shown to be quite feisty, just like a modern young woman of today. Though she gets captured thanks to sorcery, she doesn’t actually needs rescuing and makes life hell for Chornomor, stealing his magic cap and slapping him around at will while being invisible. Like Disney products, the film employs cute animal sidekicks as well. A bird helps Ruslan all the time and later a hamster becomes a friend as well. There is a delightful cameo by a magical cat, who is an avid reader and transforms itself into Godzilla like proportions, listening to classical music as it smashes the bad guys around. Another well-imagined segment is Mila’s fight with monstrous pastry. The cupcakes, donuts, and other eatables attack her and she battles them with a serving knife. The battle ends with her carving the layer cake into tiny pieces. Ruslan is shown to be aware of his weaknesses. He doesn’t have any magical powers, nor is he a trained warrior. What makes him go forth in his quest is his love for MIla. We see his growth from a boy to a man during the journey.

The colour palette is all bright and sunny and the 3D animation is surprisingly well-rendered and looks easy on the eye. The different flora and fauna in the land of magic, the stone golem, the frog princess as also the giant warrior add colour to the tale. The film makes use of self-deprecating humour and offers a quirky take on all those Disney Princess films. We’ve become used to Hollywood products when it comes to animation. Japan’s Studio Ghibli has emerged as an option in recent times, and this film proves that we need to explore products from other studios and countries as well...